COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Every year, millions of Americans are diagnosed with cancer. Billions of dollars have been raised to help find a cure for every cancer from lung to breast. But while all that money goes to research, cancer patients struggle every day to pay their medical expenses.
For the family of 2-year-old Sophia Hope Thomas, who was diagnosed with a rare infantile form of Leukemia, they needed money to keep a roof over their head four months into her treatment.
Her father was laid off from his job.
"We didn't know how we were going to make it. We thought we made it this far, we'd figure something out. And thank God for Mary Jenkins and Christians Overcoming Cancer (COC)," said Ginger Thomas, Sophia's mother.
COC is the brainchild of Mary Jenkins, a cancer survivor who learned early on during her treatment that not a dime of the money raised for cancer research goes to help patients directly.
"My church agreed to help me with my bills, but all I could think about was who was helping everyone else? Who is there to help the next person going through it? Because I knew I wasn't the only one," remembers Jenkins.
On any given day, Mary leafs through dozens of requests for help from Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is a struggle to raise money even with 40 volunteers helping. Since she opened up shop in October 2006, Mary has raised just $40,000.
She showed NBC 4 a list of 30 to 35 families waiting for help. In some cases that help comes too late.
"We are willing to help them as long as they need us, but we can only help as far as the money goes," explains Jenkins.
To help Christians Overcoming Cancer contact Mary Jenkins at 614-985-3750 or email her at mary@christiansovercomingcancer.com.
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